THE new local policing inspector for Barry, has announced his vision for the area following his recent appointment.

Inspector Scott Lloyd, who is in charge of local policing, community support officers and neighbourhood beat managers in Barry is delighted to have returned to the Vale of Glamorgan, having grown up in Peterston-Super-Ely.

He has been a police officer for 20 years, starting his career in the Metropolitan Police Service before joining Wiltshire Police.

The 44-year-old has been with South Wales Police for the last 14 years; the majority of which has been working in Cardiff city centre.

For the past three years, Insp Lloyd has worked in the technology division of the force and is the current national lead for automatic facial recognition (AFR) technology.

He said: “I have had a very warm welcome to the area and am happy to be back in the Vale of Glamorgan.

"Barry, is an area with very strong community links and I hope to continue building those relationships with residents and partners.

“There are challenges to policing a large town such as Barry, in particular the night-time economy and Barry Island which receives thousands of visitors per day throughout the holiday periods.

"We will continue to focus on the night-time economy by working together with licensed premises to make sure Barry remains a safe, vibrant place to live and work.

“Anti-social behaviour (ASB), in particular alcohol related issues do tend to increase as we move into the summer months. The Barry Neighbourhood Policing Team have an operation in place which is already underway to tackle anti-social behaviour on Barry Island.

"This includes an increase in high-visibility patrols during holiday periods and weekends.

"My officers have been carrying out work on ASB hotspots in the town and working with young people in the community to tackle these issues."

He added: "I can assure residents that we won’t be taking our foot off the gas and will keep focusing on dealing with your concerns, especially in relation to ASB issues, which I know can be extremely distressing for residents.

“It is a real privilege to be the Barry inspector - I will be doing all I can to make a real difference and I know I have a great team who will help me do that.”